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Washington, D.C.-- A large block of employees of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from around the country have selected the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) as their exclusive collective bargaining representative.

NTEU President Robert M. Tobias said the decision of the FDA employees, some 3,000 of whom are professionals, including doctors, lawyers and scientists, "reflects an understanding of the reality that federal employees are better off speaking with a unified voice."

The mail ballots, tallied by the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), cover some 5,000 FDA employees. About 80 percent of them work in and around the agency's Washington, D.C., headquarters, with the remainder in field offices around the country. More than 60 percent of those taking part in the FDA election voted for NTEU representation.

NTEU, which is the largest independent federal sector union, represents 150,000 federal employees in 18 agencies and departments, including some 500 FDA employees in Atlanta and Kansas City, Kan. FDA is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

During the organizing campaign, FDA employees voiced their concerns about a variety of issues dealing with their work lives, including evaluations and promotional opportunities, conflict resolution and matters relating to continued government downsizing and attempts to reduce federal pay and benefits.

"At a time when federal pay, benefits and pensions continue to be under attack in an often hostile Congress, it is important that all federal employees present a united front to preserve what they have fought so hard to obtain and what they so rightfully deserve," Tobias said.

In a recent letter to a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, the NTEU president warned against cutting FDA funding in light of an annual 12 percent increase in applications at the same time that staffing levels have remained stable and there have been significant declines in application processing time.